On Thursday afternoon, Palm released the webOS 1.1.0 update for the Pre smartphone. There is a laundry list of fixes and enhancements that are delivered in this update, including a patch that “resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1).”
In addition to correcting the iTunes, um “issue,” Palm has also baked in updates for calendar, camera, clock, contacts, email, messaging, phone, system, web, and YouTube. As with all Palm webOS updates, the package can be downloaded and installed to the Pre, over the air, by using the Updates application. The webOS 1.1.0 update runs just under 90MB and will take a few minutes to download and verify before the update can be installed on your phone.
I installed this update first thing on Friday morning and I did notice some improvement in cellular coverage while I was at the office. I’m not sure if that just happened to be a coincidence or due to the software update. I’ll have to keep and eye on the phone over the next few days to see for sure.
I’m also excited to see that Palm has restored the ability to sync the Pre with iTunes. I know that doubleTwist is a great free option for doing the exact same thing as the Media Sync feature with iTunes, however, I’d rather sync my Pre to my Mac without having to install any extra software. This situation is probably temporary as I’m sure Apple will try to counter Palm’s counter move. So I’ll be sure to enjoy it while it lasts. And when Apple does finally pull the plug on Palm’s iTunes sync ambitions for good, I’ll make the jump to doubleTwist.
To read all the details about Palm webOS 1.1.0, check out the Pre webOS update page.